The Apple Watch has not been selling as Apple had hoped; we know this because sales numbers on the Watch are notoriously hard to find, and Apple is as prone to vanity as any tech company. So, instead of relying on the Apple faithful, they’re actually making an effort to make their product useful.
Among the updates they’ve announced at their event today:
- Facebook Messenger: Yes, Facebook Messenger, probably the most useful app from Facebook, is coming to the Apple Watch.
- Translation: There are several translator apps for the Apple Watch already, but Apple’s is somewhat arresting. Supposedly, you can speak any of thirty languages into the Watch and it will immediately cough up the phrase in the language you need. Apple of all people knows the risks of speech and technology, but if they’re putting it out there, it’s probably at least usable.
- GoPro: This will be useful to action cam fans, especially since monitoring your GoPro can be a bit of a task without an LCD screen
- Airstrip: Apple is upping its health monitor game, with secure authentication between you and your doctor allowing the Watch to feed real time data for analysis. Apple also claims it’s able to differentiate between a mother’s heartbeat and a baby’s in the womb. That might be a pretty big deal, but a lot is going to depend on both how secure Apple’s data stream actually is and whether it can live up to those claims.
Oh, also, you get a traditional watch band, a new coral finish, and Hermes is making Apple Watch bands. Now, whether this gets you to buy one, we’ll just have to see.